


Just Kids

by JemmyMads



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Clint is in a bad place, Gen, Kid Fic, Like Heavy Angst, Self Harm, as in they're literally kids, but there's a sorta happy ending, its sad, pray for them, sorta domestic avengers, they all are, they're all suffering, tony gets protective, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-04 20:39:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11562927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JemmyMads/pseuds/JemmyMads
Summary: They're just kids who suddenly have the burden of the world on them.They try to cope(Guys this is very sad and there is a trigger warning for non graphic self harm so please look out.)





	Just Kids

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so I got this idea from Little Hero AU on tumblr, but none of the work was stolen I swear.  
> They're ages are pretty important
> 
> Steve and Bucky ~ 17  
> Tony ~ 16  
> Thor and Natasha ~ 15  
> Clint and Bruce ~13  
> Peter ~ 6
> 
> anyway enjoy !! :)

The new house felt empty. It felt cold, uninviting, and depressing.

Bruce wasn't sure if it was the house itself or the people within.

Either way, it made Bruce anxious, made him feel as if every waking second he was in danger of suffocating.

He wasn't the only one to feel this way either, it was more than evident that little Peter was suffering too. He was having nightmares constantly, and more often than not, Bruce or Tony were the only ones that noticed and helped.

Not that he could really blame any of the others. They were all grieving, all adjusting to their new life away from society.

After their most recent battle, SHIELD had decided to hide them away, return them to the unknown so they were out of the limelight. And, Bruce guessed, to give them time to recover and heal.

Steve tried to keep a brave face, but there were cracks in him that allowed them to see how much he was suffering, even if he constantly denied it and covered it up. He was good at pretending, but more than once Bruce had walked into the living room in the dead of night after being woken by quiet sobs. Bruce would stand, unable to walk away and leave the older teen suffering, but not entirely sure what  _he_ could do to help. 

Bruce always turned around and went back to bed.

Bucky was also trying to pretend everything was ok. Everyone knew it was because he believed he didn't have a reason for being as defeated as everyone else, but he refused to listen to their pleads to seek counseling to help with his anger and depression. Only after he lost his temper and hit Clint did he give in and go to someone.

Their leader and his right hand man were suffering but refused to break the act that they believed they were playing well.

Tony was a whole other deal. The sixteen year old was very obviously plagued by his PTSD every moment he was alive, reliving horrors that no one could relate to. The once loud mouthed genius was suddenly subdued and quiet, barricading himself in his lab and not leaving for days at a time. Only Peter could get him to come out and eat something, and even then the most he ate was a banana and some water before stalking away again. The only time Bruce really saw and talked to Tony was after Peter's nightmares, when the six year old was asleep again and both Tony and Bruce knew they would wait out the rest of the night side by side to make sure the kid didn't wake up again.

Those late night moments were the most interaction Bruce really got anymore.

Thor was much the same as Tony. He spent sleepless nights going from room to room, as if to reassure himself that they were all there and alive and breathing. When Bruce heard Thor making his rounds he would pretend to be asleep, evening out his breathing to give the young god peace of mind. He was missing his brother and his home and occasionally Bruce could overhear him talking to Natasha in the early morning about going back to Asgard.

Bruce was relieved that he didn't have to see his crestfallen face when Natasha told him he can't.

Natasha, of all of them, seemed most like herself. But, Bruce personally believed, that was only because she was used to pushing down and containing her feelings. It was as if she wasn't aware that it was her time to let herself feel things again. Instead, she walked with a stony expression at all times, never letting an emotion show. Bruce wasn't fooled though, he could see the way she flinched when someone unexpectedly touched her, the lay she clenched her fists to refrain from hitting them, the way her eyes would squeeze shut at loud noises. The only time the fifteen year old talked was with Clint when he had a weak moment, which was becoming more and more often, or when Thor pleaded to go back to Asgard.

It scared Bruce to think that Natasha wasn't aware that she was safe.

Bruce worried for Clint. Clint was self harming. It started after he had finally broken from Loki's mind control and insisted on wearing a shock bracelet around his wrist so that he would know that he was still himself, know that he could still feel pain. Then it became obsessive and Bruce knew that Clint would trigger it just to feel the pain of the intense shocks. The thirteen year old would also pick at people, trying to get a rise out of them for fun. It worked one time and Bucky struck him hard across the face, sending him flying into the dining room table. But Clint wanted more. And ever sense the one time it worked, he became harsher with his taunts, desperate for another hit.

Bruce was haunted by the thought that at any time Clint could press too hard and the Other Guy would come out to deal with the teen.

~

A month came and went and the team still didn't adjust. They still avoided each other as much as they could, even if all of them were secretly wanting to talk and live again

Sam came to visit a few times, even bringing Wade and Matt along once for Peter.

Peter cried for days after they left.

Bruce felt as if that might have been the beginning of the end.

After days of Peter crying about being separated from his best friends, Bruce took pity on the kid and tried to distract him. They were going to make pasta to bring to Tony who they hadn't seen in four days, when Bruce realized that he didn't have his tablet with the sauce recipe.

He left the six year old on the counter when he ran back to his room to grab it. He was in his room when he heard the crash and the familiar wail of Peter. Bruce ran back to the kitchen, with Steve and Bucky emerging from their shared room and running behind him.

When they got there, Clint was in the middle of a mess of blood and glass, cradling a crying and bleeding Peter to his chest while ignoring the fact that he was also getting his feet cut up. The archer looked up when they came in, "I don't know what happened, I was in the vents above when I heard the crash."

Steve nodded and went to take Peter from his arms while Bruce went to get the first aid kit. Walking back into the kitchen, he was greeted with Natasha with the same emotionless expression peering at the mess, and Thor, who was picking up Clint and putting him on the counter with ease. The only one missing was Tony

Bucky was busy trying to sweep up the glass without stepping on it and was muttering to himself, though too quiet for Bruce to hear.

Bruce started on cleaning Peter's cuts right when the argument began.

"Why is Peter living here again? I mean I know he has powers but he's a kid! He's just a kid." Steve said, looking from one Avenger to another, as if he was challenging them. Clint took the bait.

"He has powers, his powers are known to the world, they needed to keep him safe!" replied Clint, his voice angry and slightly raised. Thor looked up at him with worried eyes from where he was bent trying to pick glass out of the archer's foot.

"Yeah well they're doing one hell of a job at keeping him safe, look at him! This isn't safe!  _We're not safe!_ " Steve's voice rose until he was yelling, turning fully to stare down Clint. Clint pushed himself off the counter and took a fight ready stance despite the blood still spilling freely from his cuts.

"We're safer than anyone else! Do you wanna just give Peter away like some unwanted pet?  _We're the only family he has left!"_

Peter started crying again and Natasha rushed over to grab him, pulling Bruce over so they were standing a little ways behind Clint.

"No Clint, we're the only family  _you_ have left! Peter could go live with his aunt or  _anywhere other than this catatonic group_!"

Clint's face turned surprised for a moment, than a look of hurt flashed over his features, "Fuck you Rogers!"

"Nice comeback pipsqueak." Bucky taunted, joining Steve's side and leering down at Clint.

"Don't even start Barnes, why are you even here? You don't belong here. You aren't an Avenger. You don't deserve SHIELD's help! You don't deserve our help!"

A smack echoed through the house.

Clint stumbled to the side from the force of the hit, right back into the pile of glass, clutching his cheek. Bucky stood with his hand still raised and an unapologetic expression.

Then Tony was barreling forward, putting himself between the younger kids and the two seventeen year olds.

"You do  _not_ hit them." His voice was low and angry. He turned so he could guide Clint into the safety of Thor's waiting arms, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

" _You do not hit them! Any of them!_ _Never again!_ " 

"Tony he didn't-"

"Don't give any of that 'he didn't mean to' crap! He's done it before and I've no doubt he would do it again."

"Well then what? You gonna kick him out?  _Us_ out?" 

"No, I'm not gonna kick you out. I'm gonna get you, all of you, the help you need. The help  _we_ need."

Everyone was silent and it unnerved Bruce, he leaned further into Natasha's side, hoping the older girl would provide some form of comfort. She did, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on the crown of his head and pulling him closer.

Steve and Tony stared each other down, until Steve sighed and his shoulders drooped, nodding his head in resignation.

"Good. We all need help. We do. None of us are as ok as we're trying to be, so we need to suck it up and ask for help. I need help! I haven't slept for more than an hour in almost a week! Nat needs help! She can't have someone standing behind her without looking ready to run for the door!

"Steve needs help! His emotions have been bottled up since we  _started_ the Avengers! Thor very obviously needs help, he hasn't seen him home, his  _family_ in months."

Tony paused to take a breath, "Bucky needs help, his anger is controlling him and making him not trust us. Clint needs help! Desperate help, because he has resorted to shocking himself as a coping mechanism. He's resorted to cutting his thighs to hide it from all of you, but I've seen it, I  _know_."

Tony suddenly whirled on Bruce, "And Bruce. He needs help. There hasn't been a single day that I've seen him that he doesn't have a green tint to his skin. He's sleeping less than me and hasn't spoken to anyone besides me, Peter, and Clint since we got here."

Tony stopped and hung his head, as if he was trying to hide the tears streaking down his face, "We're kids. We're all just kids that were forced to grow up too fast because of things completely out of our control.  _Just kids._ "

~

The weeks following the argument and Tony's speech were hard on everyone. They all tried to talk more, but after a month of near complete silence, it turned out to be tougher than they expected.

After Clint's adrenaline wore off, he was stuck on bed rest for a week while the bottom of his feet healed.

They all started therapy, twice a week for Steve, Nat, Tony, and Thor, three to four times a week for Bucky, Clint, and Bruce.

Peter stayed temporarily with Logan, safe and happy with Wade, Matt, and his new friend Peter Quill.

Nat started to open up to everyone first, and soon it was a familiar sight to see her walking with a smile on her face, or singing along to the radio while making everyone dinner.

Tony followed her example and stopped hiding away in his lab. He stayed with everyone in the communal area and liked to color in silence while Bruce would read quietly next to him. Slowly his sarcasm and snark came back full swing, but it relieved everyone to hear the snide remarks again.

Thor began telling them about his home more often, his therapist having told him that a good way to stop missing something was to talk about it. Tony and Steve would team up to draw pictures of Asgard to the best of their limited knowledge, and every picture Thor treasured and hung on his wall.

Bucky didn't become any less reserved, but his comments stopped being cruel, they stopped aiming to hurt someone with every word out of his mouth. He started doing yoga in the morning with Nat and running in the afternoon with Thor.

Clint stopped shocking himself only after the bracelet was removed. Tony checked his thighs for new cuts every few nights and was pleasantly surprised when they stopped showing up. Clint still hid in the vents to get away from everyone, but now he also opened his horizons to anywhere up high in the home. Multiple times Steve and Tony had found him asleep on high shelves, on top of  the cupboards, or curled above the fridge.

Bruce started talking more. He stopped watching and analyzing everyone's every move and instead focused on himself and how he could begin to control the Other Guy better. And it worked. His skin stopped holding a permanent green tint to it and his eyes stopped turning from brown to black.

Of course they all had their set backs. After an insensitive comment from Natasha, Tony hid away in his lab for three days, coming out after a heartfelt talk with Nat and fresh baked cookies from Bruce. Steve had a break down and cried through an entire night, guilt having  built up in his system for far too long. Clint came into Bruce's room one night with blood stained hands and bloody thighs, sobbing an apology over and over again. Bruce soothed him and cleaned up the cuts, stroking Clint's hair to get him back to sleep.

After Clint's relapse, Tony and Bruce banded together to go through the house and find anything he may be able to use and get rid of it. Cooking knives were hidden in Steve and Bucky's room where he couldn't find them and the archer moved into Bruce's room, a mutual agreement that it would be better for him not to be alone.

~

Then suddenly they had Peter back, the six year old bringing sunshine and happiness with him.

Sam started visiting more often and bringing Matt and Wade along most times.

Things looked up for the Avengers, and Bruce felt as if maybe, possibly, he finally found a home.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it!! Comments and Kudos are always appreciated :)


End file.
